2018 CUSA Power Rankings Week 4

Coming off a tough week CUSA comported themselves well, tallying up a signature win. The league’s better teams are on pace to stay unharmed before squaring off, giving the league some marquee matchups to sell. Let us see what the 12 league writers had to say:

(First place vote in parentheses).

1. NT (12) — LW 1
2. FAU — LW 2
3. Marshall — LW 3
4. LT — LW 4
5. FIU — LW 5
6. UAB — LW 7
7. MTSU – LW 6
8. USM — LW 8
9. Charlotte — LW 13
10. UTSA — LW 9
11. Rice — LW 10
12. WKU — LW 12
13. ODU — LW 11
14. UTEP — LW 14

We are going to change things up this week. Instead of writing my votes, I’ll just opine on the order we collectively chose and put my vote in the comments.

1. NT

   The league’s clear best team dominated away to an SEC squad and had the nation’s most viral play. It could not have went better for Seth Littrell. The defense looks ferocious. EJ Ejiya leads the nation in tackles for loss.

2. FAU

   Lane Kiffin and company did not look amazing in the late stages of the game against Bethune Cookman, but the motor is starting to rev, and they are the team to beat. The defending champs have a big out-of-conference matchup ahead this week against UCF.

3. Marshall

   The Herd had their game cancelled but in so doing had two weeks to prepare for NC State. The margin is 6, which is way the NT-Arkansas line was. If the Herd truly are one of the league’s élite, this should be winnable . . .

4. La Tech

   Tech has a huge cultural matchup against LSU. Someone somewhere said that LSU stole a band number once upon a time. Tech had two weeks to prepare for this while the Tigers are coming off a game against Auburn that was draining. Upset time? I wrote before the year that we shouldn’t be surprised if Tech upsets the Tigers in this one. I am still a believer in the Bulldogs.

5. FIU

   Sixty-three points looks good no matter who it was against. Slowly and quietly the Golden Panthers are putting a nice team together under Butch Davis. We always thought that was going to happen, and the timing is right with FAU and Marshall not looking so put-together.

6. UAB

   A nice win against Tulane is the kind of thing that suggests the previous loss to Coastal Carolina was an anomaly. The Blazers have the kind of time-controlling offense that can change the game against UNT or Tech and that is why they are dark horses to win this division.

7. MTSU

   No, Georgia was not going to be upset, but this is three straight games that the Blue Raiders have not impressed.

8. Southern Miss

   A big matchup against App State was cancelled (rightly so). It would have shown us what kind of team is in Hattiesburg. Jack Abraham looked nice in his starts but Kwadra Griggs is back. QB controversy at the Rock again?

9. Charlotte

   Hey! The 49ers all the way up here? Yes, the voters liked the 2-1 start and the 1-0 record in league play. Lambert climbed above (by stepping on him!) Bobby Wilder on the hot seat ladder. (Just go with it)

10. UTSA

    Yes, those were three P5 teams, but UTSA did not look good in any of the games and it was against some FBS teams with some questions. Baylor doesn’t look like world-beaters, K-State squeaked out a win against an FCS team, and Arizona State got beat by San Diego St. I would venture to say that UTSA should be on par with SDS at this point in time in Frank Wilson’s tenure. There are questions to be asked.

11. Rice

    Quietly, Bloomgren is building his team in his image. They will upset someone this season.

12. WKU

    Yes, a loss last week, but a good one. Barely.

13. ODU

    Bobby Wilder on the hot seat just two seasons removed from a 10-win year. That is college football for ya. Also, when the team looks out-of-sorts the way it had after one of the better offseasons (by all reports) in team history? Eek.

14. UTEP

    Under construction for about three years.